Total births
9,697
Girls' name · since 1923
Debby
Debby has 9,697 recorded births since 1923 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1959 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 9,697
- total births
- 1923–2016
- years on record
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 46%
- born in that decade
Debby sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 9,697 recorded since 1923.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Debby has been recorded 9,697 times among girls since 1923, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1923 to 2016.
- 9,697 total births
- 1923–2016 years on record
- 1950s peak decade
- 46% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
9,697 girls have been named Debby since 1923, peaking in the 1950s, last recorded in 2016.
- 9,697
- total births
- 1923–2016
- years on record
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 46%
- born in that decade
1950s
Peak decade
46% of everyone ever named Debby was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
890 babies were named Debby in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
Debby's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Debby's full recorded timeline at 1972, 9% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 91% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1923, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1959 peak of 890 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Debby at a glance
Last recorded 2016Peak year
1959
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1923
Debby popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1923–2016
- Peak year (1959)
- 890
- Annual births at peak, across 94 years of records
Debby by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Debby's strongest decade.
4,460 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Debby births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 12
1920s
12 births
- 1930s 96
1930s
96 births
- 1940s 750
1940s
750 births
- 1950s
1950s
4,460 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,354 births
- 1970s 564
1970s
564 births
- 1980s 216
1980s
216 births
- 1990s 127
1990s
127 births
- 2000s 73
2000s
73 births
- 2010s 45
2010s
45 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 4,460 births (46% of all-time use).
How Debby compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Debby's total volume
Debby vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Debby by state
Where Debby concentrates geographically, total births since 1923
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,000 | 10.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 580 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 552 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 539 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Texas | | 444 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 433 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 391 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 268 | 2.8% |
California share of Debby's total US births 10.3%
Even split
1,000 of 9,697 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Debby appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Debby? ▼
Debby has been given to 9,697 babies in the U.S. since 1923, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2016. 890 babies were born in 1959, its single highest year.
When was Debby most popular? ▼
Debby was most popular in the 1950s decade with 4,460 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Debby most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Debby are California (1,000 births), New York (580 births), Ohio (552 births).
How long has the name Debby been used? ▼
Debby has been recorded in Social Security data since 1923, spanning 94 years of data through 2016.
What names are similar to Debby? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Deborah, Debra, Debbie, Debora, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Debby's data
- Debby's decade-level peak was the 1950s (4,460 total births); usage has since declined to 45 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Debbys (1,000 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Debby
Nearby Names Like Debby
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Debby
Deborah Girl
#853 742,820 births
Debra Girl
#3581 550,695 births
Debbie Girl
#4566 187,853 births
Debora Girl
#2122 30,133 births
Debrah Girl
4,404 births
Compare Debby side by side: Debby vs Deborah Debby vs Debra Debby vs Debbie
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Karol #3701
9,694 births · Peak 2005
Jacquelin #9000
9,686 births · Peak 2000
Lauretta #7604
9,710 births · Peak 1915
Christal #11184
9,710 births · Peak 1978
Chastity
9,711 births · Peak 1974
Selene #674
9,713 births · Peak 2025
Avianna #555
9,677 births · Peak 2021
Bobby #10321
9,675 births · Peak 1930
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1923–2016 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Debby: Baby Name Since 1923 - 9,697 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/debby. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Debby draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.